Outside the operating room, Su Mo held Momo and waited anxiously until the door opened. He quickly stepped forward.
“Doctor, how is she?”
“The patient lost too much blood. It was originally hopeless, but fortunately, her physical constitution is exceptionally strong, and a special medicine stopped the bleeding in time. That saved her life.”
Hearing the doctor’s words, Su Mo’s worried heart finally settled completely.
The doctor wanted to ask what kind of miraculous medicine it was, but just then, Old Eight was also being wheeled out of the operating room. Su Mo’s attention turned there.
The doctor from that side sighed. “He’s hanging on by a thread. It seems the patient still has something to say.”
Su Mo placed Momo beside his mother and walked over alone.
Old Eight was now unrecognizable, the muscles in his face severely sunken. His mouth was slightly open, with only faint breaths escaping. “Don’t… kill them…”
Su Mo’s gaze was calm. “On behalf of myself and my family, I thank you.”
Hearing this, Old Eight suddenly let out a long, final breath and closed his eyes completely.
In his view, Su Mo had agreed.
He had been abandoned by Li Kui and the others, yet in the end, he was still pleading for them.
Seeing Old Eight stop breathing, a subtle shift occurred in Su Mo’s eyes, a faint anger surfacing in their depths. “But they are doomed!”
It was true that Old Eight had saved his mother and Momo. However, if it weren’t for the Eight Braves, they would never have been in danger.
He could thank Old Eight, and he could also hate him. These feelings were irrelevant.
What mattered was that Li Kui and the others must pay the price!
…
…
On a mountain path in the eastern part of Tianyu City, Li Kui and his group were moving swiftly, with Bei Dou’s pursuers close behind.
“Boss, the Bloodthirsty Staff can’t fall into Bei Dou’s hands. It’s one of our Hundred Immortals Sect’s top divine weapons,” Old Four suddenly spoke up.
Li Kui said coldly, “Nothing is more important than our lives right now. We survive first, then talk about other things.”
Old Four immediately fell silent.
Then, “Old Seven” moved closer to Li Kui and asked, confused, “Boss, what exactly is the Bloodthirsty Staff? Why could only Old Eight use it?”
Li Kui was silent for a moment, then replied gloomily, “Because he still had a conscience.”
Still had a conscience?
What kind of reason was that?
Li Kui continued, “Let’s hope neither of us ever reaches that point. Otherwise, even death would bring no peace.”
Except for Li Kui himself, the others were completely baffled.
“Why?” asked the Old Seven, who was actually Ye Qingyi in disguise, pressing for details.
Li Kui showed a puzzled expression. “That’s strange, Old Seven, since when did you become so talkative? Why do you have to question everything now?”
Ye Qingyi replied calmly, “People change…”
Before she could finish her sentence, the cold blade of a sharp knife was pressed against her back.
Li Kui stopped walking, staring coldly into her eyes. “You’re not Old Seven. Who are you? What have you done with him?”
The two previous subordinates who might have known about “Old Four” guarding Su Wenlong had already been dealt with by Li Kui. The group only knew that Old Four had carelessly allowed Su Wenlong to be rescued.
The one now holding the knife to her back was Old Four.
Ye Qingyi smiled disdainfully. “Took you long enough. I have to say, you Eight Braves are really foolish. In just one night, Old Five, Old Seven, and Old Eight are all gone.”
“Shut your mouth!” Old Four increased the pressure with his knife.
Suddenly, Ye Qingyi erupted into action. She spun around and delivered a sharp chop to Old Four’s carotid artery. Old Four collapsed on the spot, unconscious.
Li Kui’s pupils dilated sharply. He raised his fist and threw a punch at Ye Qingyi.
A yellow halo, like a protective shield, coated the surface of his fist, augmenting his strength and hardening it considerably. But Ye Qingyi fought without honor. With a flick of her wrist, a combat knife appeared in her hand, and she thrust it straight towards Li Kui’s abdomen.
At this moment, the advantage of numbers immediately became apparent.
Old Two and Old Three stirred their energy seas, readying their signature moves. Old Six secretly hid poison needles between his fingers, preparing to strike treacherously when the chance arose.
Facing four opponents alone, Ye Qingyi’s thrust towards Li Kui was momentarily halted, allowing him to dodge easily.
On the surface, the 1 vs. 4 situation seemed to put Ye Qingyi at a disadvantage. In reality, everything was under her control; otherwise, she wouldn’t have revealed herself so early.
At the very least, she would have tried to explain herself when suspected…
Thump-thump… Thump-thump… Thump-thump…
Intense heartbeat sounds emanated from Ye Qingyi’s chest, instantly mobilizing the energy and blood throughout her body.
The Fire Attribute Jade Seed of the Jade Planting Art, also known as the Heart Seed.
This state was somewhat similar to Su Mo’s Rage Art, but because its effects were far inferior, Su Mo rarely used it.
Now, Ye Qingyi’s power increased dramatically. The combat knife in her hand became like a divine weapon. Every swing drew blood—sometimes Old Two’s, sometimes Old Three’s, sometimes Old Six’s. Only Boss Li Kui, the strongest and most cunning, consistently managed to evade her attacks.
In just over ten seconds, the fight had turned into a 1 vs. 1 duel.
But Li Kui didn’t seem panicked; in fact, he looked somewhat excited.
His laughter was somewhat maniacal: “Hahaha! You killed them for me! Saves me the psychological burden of killing my own brothers.”
Before Ye Qingyi could process this, she saw Li Kui suddenly snap his fingers, a strange smirk curling his lips. “Blood, come!”
The bodies of the four deceased members, including Old Four who had fallen earlier, suddenly exploded. Yet, not a single drop of blood spilled outwards. Instead, all the blood transformed into streams, converging before Li Kui to form a large sphere of blood.
This explosive scene was nauseating. Even a seasoned warrior like Ye Qingyi felt uncomfortable, her stomach churning.
The air was thick with the strong smell of blood. Li Kui took a deep breath, inhaling the scent, and showed an extremely sickening expression of satisfaction. “Ah, wonderful!”
In the next moment, an incredibly pure energy was stripped away from the blood sphere, thread by thread, drilling into Li Kui’s nose and mouth.
Empowered by this energy, his aura surged rapidly, seemingly approaching B-rank.
Ye Qingyi inwardly cursed. This was bad. She rushed forward to stop him.
But reality isn’t like fiction, where villains wait for you to interrupt their casting.
Li Kui completed his transformation almost instantly. His near B-rank strength boosted his confidence immensely. He began to fight Ye Qingyi bare-handed.
In Xia Country, the greatest trump card for a C-rank cultivator is their Snow Mountain—the essence of their spiritual energy cultivation and the foundation of their mental power. Therefore, both of them immediately unleashed the power of their Snow Mountains, attempting to decide the outcome in the shortest time possible.
As their fists and feet collided, Li Kui actually held a slight upper hand. Under the rain of relentless attacks, Ye Qingyi was forced back to the edge of the cliff, on the verge of falling.
Ye Qingyi tried to counter with her combat knife, but Li Kui’s monstrous physical prowess countered it. He actually shattered the knife into several pieces with his bare hands.
While it seemed like bare hands, it was actually a technique of Li Kui’s that specifically enhanced the strength and defense of his hands. Ye Qingyi had experienced it before, but this time it was stronger.
“Who are you really?” Li Kui demanded, his fist transforming into a palm strike, a faint tiger’s roar seeming to emanate from his palm. “We have no grievance. Why are you opposing us?”
This palm strike was immensely powerful, like a mountain. Ye Qingyi knew that taking it head-on would, at best, leave her severely injured. So, she grabbed onto him, intending to drag them both over the cliff.
“Heh, you want to die? I don’t. Don’t think about taking me with you,” Li Kui said, slightly pulling back his strength to maneuver against Ye Qingyi.
At that moment, a faint golden light slowly swirled in the depths of Ye Qingyi’s eyes. A Great Destiny Art descended upon both of them.
Almost instantly, Li Kui’s foot suddenly slipped. Losing his balance, Ye Qingyi grabbed his arm and threw him fiercely down the cliff.
Unwilling to fall to his death, Li Kui desperately grabbed Ye Qingyi’s arm, refusing to let go, wanting to die together.
Perhaps influenced by the Great Destiny Art, their fortunes were completely opposite.
As she fell, Ye Qingyi managed to grab the branch of an old tree growing from the cliff edge.
Li Kui, however, was impaled in the groin by a sharp broken branch. The intense pain forced him to release his grip on Ye Qingyi. Trembling, he swayed rapidly in the wind before ultimately plunging into the abyss, beyond all hope of recovery.